Don’t fall for fraudulent QR codes, Arizona Attorney General’s Office warns

PHOENIX — The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is alerting consumers of fake or altered QR codes following reports of cybercriminals using the popular black and white squares in scams.

The warning has been sent nationwide after people were scammed by QR codes on parking meters that direct users to a fraudulent website where fake vendors have been paid.

Scam QR codes could also put users’ personal and financial information at risk, and can put a harmful program on your phone.

“It can be a malicious link or a spoofed link where someone is trying to pretend to be someone else,” Robert Bernheim, unit chief counsel for the Competition, Innovation and Privacy Unit for the AG’s Office, said in a press release.

“A lot of people don’t know they’ve been scammed when it happens.”

Bernheim said to practice common sense when scanning QR codes on your phone and offered suggestions to avoid being duped.

He said that if you receive an unexpected QR code from a stranger in an email, ignore it.

People can also preview the URL of the code for verification.

Bernheim added that users can change their phone settings to prevent automatic linking to a website from a QR code.

Using antivirus software on smartphones can also prevent the success of the scams, Bernheim said.

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